Dead lever fulcrum



June 1949. H. H. SHAFFER DEAD LEVER FULCRUM v Filed Sept. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

June 7, 1949.

Filed Sept. 26, 1945 H. H. SHAFFYER 2,472,443

I DEAD LEVER FULCRUM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented June 7,1949

UNIIED WSZI'ATES 2,472,443

--DEAD LEVER T-ULCRUM HarveynHr.ShdlfenBerwibk,.Pa. I ei Applieation' september 263E945 SeriaLNoFBISW/ZI '4 Claims. (01. 188-205) 4 This invention relates to dead lever fulcrums such as form a part of the brake equipment of railway rolling stocks.

Heretofore, the dead lever fulcrums have been in the form of castings which have been joined fixedly to the bolsters of a railway car truck structure and aside from the fact that adjustability of the fulcrum has not been possible, it has been necessary to make rights" and lefts in order to meet the requirements.

The present invention has for an object the provision of a dead lever fulcrum which is of a standard size and which can be used either as a right or left and not only be applied readily to a bolster but can be quickly and securely placed at the correct angle to insure proper support of the engaged lever.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a bolster forming a part of a railway car truck structure, said bolster being equipped with the dead lever fulcrum constituting the present invention.

Figure 2' is an elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the dead lever fulcrum, the spindle and its head being shown in elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure 3, the attaching means for the fulcrum being shown in plan.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates a portion of a bolster which, as is well known to those skilled in the art, generally is provided with a casting which is rigidly attached thereto and serves as a dead lever fulcrum. As already explained, this has necessitated the production of both righ and left castings and, furthermore, the work of installing these castings on the bolsters so as to secure them thereto properly, has added materially to the cost of production.

In the present instance there is provided a dead lever fulcrum in the form of a sleeve 2 having a central longitudinal bore 3 provided with a key-way 4. Extending radially from this sleeve is a screw threaded stud 5 proportioned to fit snugly within an opening 6 formed in the bolster. The stud is adapted to be engaged by a castle nut I or the like which, when tightened, will serve to hold the sleeve tightly against the bolster, there being opposed shoulders 8 on the sleeve which are drawn by the stud and nut so as to bear snugly against the bolster as shown in Figure 4. It is also preferred to interpose a washer 9 between the nut and the bolster.

Insertible into the sleeve 2 is a shank l0 provided at its upper end with a laterally extending arm or head H in which is provided an opening I? whereby the same can be properly joined to the brake mechanism. The shank ID has a key-way 13 adapted to register with the key-way 4 so that a key M thus can be inserted for the purpose of locking the shank l0 against rotation relative to the sleeve. Furthermore, a fastening pin, such as a cotter I5, is adapted to be inserted diametrically through the sleeve and through the shank for the purpose of holding the shank against sliding movement relative to the sleeve. The shank can be formed with more than one opening for the reception of the locking pin or cotter l5 so that the shank thus is adapted for use in sleeves of different lengths and also can be adjusted to more than one position longitudinally within the sleeve, as will be obvious.

By applying a dead lever fulcrum such as described, the disadvantages present in the use of the ordinary castings are obviated as has been explained and a considerable saving is effected in the assembly of the parts of the brake mechanism.

What is claimed is:

1. A dead lever fulcrum including a sleeve, means extending laterally from the sleeve for engagement with a bolster, a shank in the sleeve, said shank and sleeve having matching key-ways, means in the key-ways for holding the shank and sleeve against relative rotation, means within the shank and sleeve for holding the sleeve against longitudinal displacement, and a head on the shank.

2. The combination with a bolster having an opening, of a sleeve, a stud extending therefrom and through the opening, means engaging the stud for binding the sleeve to the bolster, a shank extending through the sleeve, said shank and sleeve having key-ways, a key in the key-ways for holding the shank and sleeve against relative rotation, means for holding the shank against movement longitudinally oi the sleeve, and a head on the shank.

3. The combination with a bolster having an opening, of a sleeve having a central longitudinal bore, a stud integral with the sleeve and radially extended therefrom through the opening in the bolster, means engaging the stud for binding the sleeve to the bolster, a shank extending through the sleeve, means for holding the shank against rotation relative to the sleeve, means for holding the shank against movement longitudinally of the sleeve, and a head extended laterally from one end of the shank.

4. The combination with a bolster having an opening, of a sleeve having a central longitudinal bore, a stud extending laterally from the sleeve at a right angle to a line drawn longitudinally through the center of the sleeve, said stud ex- HARVEY H. SHAFFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,977,849 Hankins Oct. 23, 1934 2,382,553 Eksergian Aug. 14, 1945 

